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Doctor: Former cop who admitted to killing his wife is not insane

Jeff Hawkins will be back in court Aug. 18

Posted: 7:28 AM, Aug 03, 2016

Updated:2016-08-03 16:14:31Z

By:
WCPO Staff

Hamilton County Justice Center

<p>Jeffrey Hawkins</p>

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A former police officer accused of killing his wife is not insane, a medical evaluation found. Although he admitted to shooting his wife to death, Jeffrey Hawkins will now need to change his not guilty by reason of insanity plea.

Jeffery Hawkins' defense team filed a motion of insanity in April after Hawkins was charged with murder in the death of his wife, Jo Ann Hawkins.

However, as revealed in Hamilton County court on Wednesday, a medical doctor's evaluation says Hawkins is not insane, and his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity is inaccurate. Hawkins could still plead insanity, according to county court officials, but it would contradict the doctor's evaluation.

Hawkins will be back in court on Aug. 18 for a plea hearing.

Hawkins' eerie 911 call, in which he calmly told 911 dispatchers that he shot and killed his wife, garnered national media attention.

In the call, Hawkins told the operator his name, his phone number and his address. And then he told her what he did:

“I just shot and killed my wife,” he said. Hawkins, 57, of Colerain Towship, told the 911 operator he would make the next steps easy for authorities.

“(My gun) is on the sink,” he said. “I’m not a threat to anybody. I’m a former police officer. I’m not sure what happened.”

Authorities found Jo Ann, 59, shot to death in the home.

Hawkins told the 911 operator his wife was on the ground by their home's back door. He said he shot her multiple times with a 40-caliber weapon, but did not know how many times he pulled the trigger.

His calm broke when he told the operator why he did it.

“She took all the money out of my bank account on my birthday on Saturday,” he said, choking back tears. “You guys were out here a couple times. I don’t know. I came home and she was here. She just wouldn’t talk to me. And she just kept saying, ‘Talk to my lawyer.’

“It just happened. I never wanted to do anything. I’m alright. Well, I’m not alright. God, forgive me.”

A family spokesman requested a high bond back in April because of fear for their lives if Hawkins were out on bond.

“We’ve been scared in the past. I had an off-and-on relationship with my mom in the past because of him, and we know what he’s capable of,” said Bo Hart, Jo Ann Hawkins' son. Hart added that he had suspected psychological abuse in the past.